


Trust in the Plunge

by maharieel



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gravity Wells, this was super self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 02:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10630281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maharieel/pseuds/maharieel
Summary: Ryder has a surprise for Reyes at the vault.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: Do you trust me?

Reyes had nothing against the Remnant vaults; they had transformed Kadara from the hellhole of sulfur pools and toxic waste into something worthy of life and beauty again for the first time in decades. It was more than he, or anyone for that matter, could have achieved no matter how much time or credits they threw at it. That didn’t mean he wanted to go _inside_ one.

Ryder didn’t give him much choice but to follow her from the Nomad though, her omni-tool already unlocking the entrance. She threw a frown over her shoulder at him, impatience dripping from the gesture, and started forward into the darkness.

She had turned up to Tartarus in full armour, shotgun at her hip and told him she had a surprise for him. Of course, once they’d got past the bit where he shoved her against the nearest wall and kissed her raw, he’d realised the fact that she was wearing her armour probably wasn’t a good sign. But the red strobe lights had danced in her eyes as she’d crossed her arms with an air of challenge, and Reyes had thought it ungentlemanly to refuse her.

“You’re positive nothing’s going to jump out and vaporise us?” he asked as he caught up to her.

She flicked on a torch and suddenly the whole corridor became illuminated in dark blue light. The sharp angles on the remnant architecture made the light bounce off in every direction and Reyes had to downcast his gaze for a moment until he was sure he wasn’t about to be blinded. Ryder, on the other hand, seemed far less affected, her stride confident as she continued further in.

“The only thing that could vaporise you is the purification field,” she quipped, turning to look at him with a smirk. “But I already dealt with that.”

A breathy chuckle slipped from him, eyes still slightly wide as he took in his surroundings. “I feel so comforted.”

“Just keep up, Vidal.”

The corridor seemed to stretch on forever, although the slightly cooler temperature was refreshing if he was being honest. Occasionally an ominous groan ricocheted through the walls, and again Ryder didn’t seem at all fazed by the fact that she was walking through an alien structure that could easily devour her if it so dared. Instead she just kept idly scanning the walls with her torch, posture relaxed as they continued deeper in.

A few minutes later, the eeriness had rubbed off enough that Reyes started to question what in the hell she had planned. “Ryder, this surprise better not be me watching you shoot remnant, because as entertaining as that would be, I can think of numerous other ways to get you hot and bothered that don’t involve such extremes.”

“Oh, shut up, we’re here,” she said, coming to a stop at the border of a large triangular engraving in the floor.

Reyes fought the urge to laugh. “The architecture’s nice, I’ll give you that.”

That got him a glare and a light shove in the shoulder. “Smartass.”

Before he could reply, though, she outstretched her hand and small orange tendrils of light shot off towards a hovering object in the centre of the triangle he hadn’t noticed through the darkness. A groan, significantly louder than the ones Reyes had heard earlier, rumbled underfoot as the floor . . . opened.

“What the fuck,” he muttered to himself, eyes trained on the chasm of blue energy that stretched down endlessly before him. Reyes unconsciously took a step back from the opening, even as Ryder (the crazy fucking woman) leant over the edge with a satisfied look on her face.

“What the _fuck_ ,” he repeated, loud enough that she turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “How did you do that?”

Ryder looked like she was fighting the urge to laugh. “Technically, it was SAM, and that’s not even the best part.”

Something in Reyes’ stomach turned in on itself. “No, no, absolutely _not_.”

Her hand – the one she hadn’t used to activate . . . whatever the hell the glowing chasm of death was – reached over and grabbed his, their fingers intertwining. The smile melted from her face as she met his gaze, dark eyes staring into his own, and whispered, “Do you trust me?”

The weight of those four words hit him like a train, images of her face in the cave hitting him at full speed despite the months that separated them from him. _A trust exercise_. She’d dragged him out into the middle of nowhere with no assurance besides the gun on his back, taken him somewhere where _his_ feet were the unsteady ones, and asked him to trust her. This was how he guessed she had felt, standing on the precipice and plunging without having any sane idea what was on the other side. At least here, he could see what he was stepping into; she’d been stepping off the edge of a cliff blind.

Reyes wanted to kiss her or hug her or say _something_ , but the only words that came out were, “Of course.”

Her face broke into a grin, teeth and all, and before Reyes could stop her, she leapt.

And dragged him with her.

The shout ( ~~not a scream~~ ) tore from him before he could stop it as they went tumbling head-over-heels into the depths of the vault, his stomach flipping around inside of him. All he could make out was the blue that enveloped him and the way Ryder’s hair whipped madly in the wind that had rushed up from nowhere and the cries of exhilaration that were tearing from her. Reyes had a death-like grip on her hand as they plummeted.

“You’re gonna break my hand, Reyes!” Ryder shouted, eyes bright as they met his briefly. He didn’t loosen his grip.

After what felt like eons, they suddenly . . . stopped falling and for a moment, Reyes was sure he’d died. But when he opened his eyes, he was suspended mid-air and slowly floating downwards. He felt like his eyes were about to bulge out of his head.

“What in the actual living _fuck_ Ryder?” he asked, meeting her gaze where she floated opposite him. She was still grinning.

She shrugged. “Gravity well. They’re everywhere in the vaults. Pretty fun if you ask me.”

Reyes must have looked at her like she was insane, because she started laughing again. Her hair was a mess of golden strands whipping around her and when she tilted her head back he watched as the blue lights danced off her skin. She looked so surreal, surrounded by mystery and excitement, and Reyes was sure she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

His eyes caught sight of something just over her shoulder, and he felt his jaw physically drop off as the vault’s interior came into view. It spanned on _forever_ , the similar angular architecture everywhere the eye could see. The familiar forms of remnant floated by in the distance and flowing streams of . . . something glinted in the corner of his eye. The grandeur and sophistication of the place was a shock, considering the only encounters he’d had with remnant were through the barrel of his rifle.

“You okay, Vidal?” Ryder teased, hand tightening where it still gripped his.

He met her gaze again. “Yeah . . . this is amazing.”

“So it was worth the drive?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

Their feet slowly hit the ground and Reyes felt himself stumble slightly, the sensation of solid ground a comfort despite the beauty of the gravity well. He let his eyes wander again to his surroundings, oblivious to the way Ryder’s trailed his every move. “Definitely, although next time you take me on a date, remind me to grab the whiskey and the cheese platter.”

She shoved him at that, laughter bubbling out of her as she led him deeper into the vault. 


End file.
